MineArchiveWaunwyllt colliery explosion, 1851
Early on Monday 2 June 1851 a naked candle carried into an old working fired gas at Thomas's colliery, Waunwyllt, near Merthyr; three miners were fatally burned and a fourth injured.
| Date | 2 June 1851 |
|---|---|
| Mine | Waunwyllt Level |
| Region | Merthyr Tydfil |
| Type | Explosion |
| Fatalities | 3 (Three miners.) |
| Injuries | 1 |
| Context | During active mining |
Cause
One of the men went with a naked candle into an old working where he had left some tools, and fired the gas.
What happened
Early on the morning of Monday 2 June 1851 an explosion of gas at Thomas's colliery, Waunwyllt, near Merthyr Tydfil, dreadfully burned three men and injured a fourth. It was caused by one of the men going with a naked candle into an old working where he had some tools, and was put down to his own imprudence rather than to any neglect by the man whose duty it was to try the air before the colliers went down. The three burned men died.
Recorded claims
Individual factual claims, each attached to the source(s) that support it below. Where sources disagree, both are kept.
- On 2 June 1851 three miners were killed at Thomas's Colliery, Waunwyllt, by an explosion of gas. 1
- On Monday morning a serious accident at Thomas' colliery, Waunwyllt, left three men very dreadfully burnt and another much injured. 2
- The accident was caused by one of the men going with a naked candle to an old working where he had some tools, and arose from his own imprudence rather than from negligence by the man whose duty it was to try the air. 2
Related terminology
Mining terms this disaster is structurally linked to, with the nature of the relationship.
- Colliery (contextual relationship)
Named twice in this record, first in the summary: “…a naked candle carried into an old working fired gas at Thomas's colliery, Waunwyllt, near Merthyr; three miners were fatally burned and a…”
Photographs & further reading
This page doesn't try to reproduce everything — these are the best original sources found for this disaster.
The Merthyr column's report of the explosion at Thomas' colliery, Waunwyllt.
View sourceSources
- (secondary) Welsh mining fatalities, 1851 — Welsh Coal Mines
- (primary) Merthyr and neighbourhood: serious accident - The Cardiff and Merthyr Guardian, 7 June 1851 — Welsh Newspapers (National Library of Wales)
Record created: 2 October 2026 · Last researched: 2 October 2026